Abstract
BackgroundIt has been hypothesised that domestication altered the sequence of dental, skeletal, and sexual maturity of dogs when compared to their wolf ancestor. To test this we investigated a comprehensive sample of domestic dogs.MethodsWe documented the timing of completed eruption of permanent dentition into occlusion (dental maturity) and the timing of growth plate closure at the proximal humerus (skeletal maturity) in ontogenetic series of wolves and 15 domestic dog breeds. Data for 137 domestic dog and 64 wolf individuals were collected based on radiographs and examination of macerated bones.ResultsOur analyses show that domestic dogs exhibit a similar sequence of dental and skeletal maturity as the ancestral wolf. Although the absolute change of the age at attainment of sexual maturity is great in domestic dogs as compared to the wolf, the sequence of dental, skeletal, and sexual maturity is not altered as extensively, contradicting one previous hypothesis. Moreover, our data suggest that the chondrodystrophic dachshund attains skeletal maturity earlier than the non-chondrodystrophic breeds examined here.ConclusionsDomestic dogs are more wolf-like in terms of the sequence of dental, skeletal, and sexual maturation than previously hypothesised. This implies that the domestication process and/or breed formation did not have a major impact on this sequence, although the absolute values of life history variables do have a greater range of variation than in the wild wolf.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s40851-016-0055-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
It has been hypothesised that domestication altered the sequence of dental, skeletal, and sexual maturity of dogs when compared to their wolf ancestor
Our data suggest that in wolves, dental maturity is attained at 4–6 months (Fig. 2a, Additional file 1) and skeletal maturity at 10–12 months (Fig. 2b, Additional file 1)
We found evidence that in domestic dogs, dental maturity is attained at 4–6 months (Fig. 2a, Additional file 1) and skeletal maturity at 10–11 months (Fig. 2b, Additional file 1)
Summary
It has been hypothesised that domestication altered the sequence of dental, skeletal, and sexual maturity of dogs when compared to their wolf ancestor. Wolves living as commensals of humans at the beginning of the domestication process experienced changes in environmental conditions [1,2,3] These changes may have included unpredictability of food supplies and decreasing interspecific competition, leading to accelerated maturation and increased fecundity [1,2,3]. Domestic dogs are hypothesised to have been smaller and to have attained sexual maturity earlier than wolves [3]. In domestic dogs it has been proposed that sexual maturity is attained earlier than skeletal and dental maturity, but the sequence of the latter two to one another is not shifted otherwise [4]. The early shift of sexual maturity with respect to dental and skeletal maturity in domestic dogs would be expected, because
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